One Direction rejects Town Hall appearance
UPDATED: The Adelaide City Council wanted teen idols One Direction to make an appearance on the Town Hall balcony with Adelaide Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood.
The idea – which would have echoed the Beatles’ famous 1964 appearance – was being negotiated between the band’s management and council.
The original idea came from a third party, the council says.
Yarwood shoulder to shoulder with Zayne Malik, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and the mop-haired Harry Styles would have been a great piece of PR for the Lord Mayor.
But after some preliminary discussions, the kibosh was put on the plan by the band’s management, Town Hall says, no doubt to the disappointment of thousands.
The boy band – arguably the biggest band in the world (but unknown to many over the age of 15) – are in SA for a series of sold-out concerts, starting tonight at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre tonight.
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If the band had gone for it, they would have been the latest in a long and proud tradition of entertainers taking to the city’s balconies to wave to the fans.
In 1964 the Beatles – minus an ill Ringo – waved from Town Hall’s balcony to a reported crowd of 300,000.
Twenty years on British pop star Boy George made an appearance before thousands of fans in Rundle Mall, atop a walkway that once ran between the Renaissance Centre and the Richmond Hotel.
WATCH: Boy George’s singalong with screaming fans.
Tears flowed on Sunday when Aussie fans followed decoy black vans and missed seeing three of their idols at Adelaide Airport after Payne, Malik and Tomlinson had flown in from Dubai.
Payne later apologised to fans on Twitter, saying they were told it “wasn’t safe”.
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Excitement levels peaked when Harry Styles arrived at the airport on a later flight on Sunday and waved to frenzied (mainly female) fans.
Fifth member Horan, who was in Melbourne, is now reportedly staying with the rest of the group at the Novotel resort in the Barossa Valley.
Unwinding after the flight, Styles was photographed playing golf on Sunday afternoon.
One Direction play the first Australian concert of their Take Me Home tour on Monday night in Adelaide.
Tweens and teens in the South Australian capital have been at fever pitch trying to track the stars.
Spoof reports of the band members’ activities have not made the task of tracking them easier. The Adelaide Crows apologised on Monday morning for tweeting that they would show the band around later on Monday.
They soon corrected the joke: “Apologies to any @onedirection fans now heading to West Lakes. The earlier tweet was a cheap gag #outofcontrol #mediafrenzy.”
One Direction will play three sold-out concerts at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, before heading to Perth, Christchurch and Auckland, and then return to Australia for shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
– with AAP
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